Hay-stacker.



No. 667,306. Patented Feb. 5, I96". 8. R. FRENCH.

HAY STACKER.

(Appl cat fll d J 17 30 1900) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. I

(No Model.)

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Patented Feb. 5, I90l. S. B. FRENCH.

H A Y S T A C K E R (Applipation filed July so, 1900.)

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Jfky No. 667,306. Patented Feb. 5, |90l-. s. B. FRENCH. HAY STAGKER.

' (Application filed- July so, 1900.

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3 M d 3 V (No HodaL) lly ihiil uil U ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL R. FRENCH, OF FARMINGTON, IOWA.

HAY-STACKER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 667,306, dated February 5, 1901. Application filed July 30, 1900. Serial No. 25,328. No model-J To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL R. FRENCH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Farmington, county of Van Buren, and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hay-Stackers, of which the following is a specification and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention relates to improvements in stackers for hay, straw, and the like in which the elevating means consist of a crane or derrick adapted to receive the load at the ground to avoid the necessity of pitching, to receive and convey loose or unbaled hay and the like in larger quantities than has heretofore been practicable, and to elevate and stack the same by the use of horse or other power. I attain these objects by the use of the derrick for which I have heretofore, (February 6, 1894,) been granted United States Letters Patent N 0. 514,355, together with additional devices and improvements, the whole constituting the means illustrated in the accompanying draw- 1 ings, in which- Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the machine in the position for loading. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the machine, the boom having been brought to substantially a horizontal position. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view on v the line 3 3 of Fig.4. Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 1. Fig.

6 is a detail elevation viewed from the posi-.

tion of the arrow d of Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 is a cross-section on the line 7 7 of Fig. 6.

To a series of sleepers 11 are fixed a series of transverse beams 12,forming a foundation, into which, in a bearing at the intersection of the central beamand sleeper, is stepped an oscillating mast or crane-post 13,supported vertically by inclined braces 14, the upper ends of which fit into sockets of a collar 15 around the mast and the lower ends of which are fixed to the sleepers and beams at the points of intersection thereof. The said sleepers and beams are extended to supportatrack .16, consisting of an I-beam bent to form the arc of a circle whose center is the crane-post and on which travels a carriage 42 for a purpose hereinafter specified.

The mast 13 is bifurcated at its upper end into branches 13 and to its opposite sides are bolted brackets 17, projecting upwardly parallel with. the mast. In bearings in these brackets and in the branches of the mast is set a horizontal shaft 18, adapted to receive the weight of and form a fulcrum for the main boom of the derrick. This boom to insure strength and rigidity is formed of three beams 19, having downwardly-projecting lugs 20 through which the shaft 18 passes. The middle one of these beams is situated between the bifurcation l3 of the mast and the outer ones at either side of the mast, all resting on the shaft 18 as a fulcrum. The outer beams 19 are bent to diverge from the central beam toward the front end of the boom to form a broad and stable support for the fork and are retained in their relative posi-.

tions by a transverse beam 19, diagonal tierods 19, and transverse bolts 19 and further strengthened and supported by longitu dinal tension-rods 22, secured in plates 24 at the ends of the beams, bent over struts 20, risingfrom the beams 19 at the fulcrum,which rods join in an anchor-plate 21, to which is secured a tail-rod 23, which passes through a tail-block 24 at the rear end of the boom and is threaded to receive a nut 24, which, with the turnbuckles 23 in the tension-rods, binds the various parts of the boom in tension. The boom thus forms a truss strong and comparatively light, balanced, and capable of vertical motion upon the shaft 18 and horizontal or lateral motion with the cranepost 13.

Through bearings in the plate 24 is a transverse shaft 25, to which are secured the rear ends of projecting tines 26, forming a fork or rack to receive the load. Attached to the fork-shaft 25 at about the middle thereof is an upright crank-arm 27. A rod 29, pivotally attached at 28 to the upper end of the crankarm 27, leads backwardly to andbeyond the crane-mast 13 and passes freely between one of the arms 13* thereof and a guide-bar 32, secured to such arm by the bolts 33 33 The arm 29 rests upon and by a notch 29* in its under face engages a pin 30, set through the bar 32 and the arm 13 to which it is secured, and the relative positions of the pivot-shaft 18 of the boom, of the pin 30, and of the notch 29 are such that so long as the notch and the pin 30 are in engagement the load-carrying fork is maintained in a substantially horizontal position without regard to the position of the boom.

For releasing or dumping the fork a bent lever 31 is pivotally mounted upon the pin 30 and forms a latch with one end offset to project under the rod 29 and attached at the other end to a release or trip rope 34, extending downwardly across the path of lateral swing of the boom to the foundation of the derrick, where it may be attached to a ring-bolt To the shaft 25 is fixed an upright crank- 1 arm 35, connected by the rod 36 to one arm of a bellcrank lever 37, fulcrumed on the boom, upon the other arm of which lever is mounted a weight 38, adjustable on the arm to counterbalance the unloaded fork, causing it after the fall of the load to turn upward on its shaft until the notch 29 of the supporting-rod 29 rengages the pin 30.

An adjustable stop is provided to limit the vertical swing of the boom 19 and consists of a plate or block 40, carried bya pair of arms 39 39, to which it is pivotally attached and 5 which are secured at diflerent points 'to the 1 side of the boom, so that each braces the Z other. Each of the arms is longitudinally slotted, shown at 39, and the securingbolt 39 39", by which each is attached to the boom, sets through this slot.

The carriage upon which the rearward end a of the boom rests as it turns with the crane- I post 13 consists of a curved plate 42, concentric with the track and supported at each end with antifriction-rollers 43 and laterally by vertical rollers 43, working against both sides of the stem of the I-beam forming the track below the upper projecting flanges thereof, the effect being to prevent any upward or lateral movement of the carriage relative to the track.

In lugs mounted on the plate 42 is pivoted a gravity-latch 41, the head of which extends beyond the rear end of the carriage and bears a roller 41*, resting upon the track, to permit its free movement with the carriage along the track, the gravity-latch being adapted to drop over and engage the end of the track when the carriage is at that point.

The carriage is provided with a pulley 44, mounted upon the front end of the plate 42, and an eyebolt 44, in which is fastened one end of theoperating-rope 45, which passes thence over a pulley 46 .at the rear end of the boom and under the pulley 44 of the carriage, thence by a sheave 46 through a pulley 47 at the front end of the track to the draft means.

The means for causing the return of the derrick to its first or loading position comprise a weight 52, suspended by a rope 49, passing through a pulley 51, which is hung eeiso from a bracket 51 upon the frame ofthe machine, to a pulley 50, thence to the end of an arm 48, fixed to and projecting from the mast 13. A horizontal sheave 53, mounted on the base of the frame, receives and guides the rope 49 when drawn by turn of the mast. The rear end of the arm 48 is extended to form a lug 48*, adapted to abut against a pin 48", set in the central frame and forming a stop to limit the reverse movement of the derrick.

Referring to the operation of the machine, Fig. 1 shows the position with the front end of the boom tilted to the ground, the fork in position for loading, and the carriage locked to the rear end of the track by the gravitylatch. When the operating-rope is drawn, the boom tilts until the plate 40 falls upon the tail of the latch 41, lifting the head thereof and releasing the carriage, which is then drawn around the track 16, swinging the boom laterally and turning the mast until the rope 34, previously adjusted to the desired length, is tightened sufficiently to operate the release-lever 31, which releases the fork and discharges the load by the means herei-nbefore described. It will be seen that the place of release of the load may by proper adjustment of the release-rope be fixed at any point in the arc of its travel and that the height of its elevation may be regulated by adjustment of the arms 39. Also that the weight 52 is hoisted by the turning of the mast, and when the power is withdrawn causes a contrary turn, bringing the derrick to its original position, the front end of the boom descending by an excess of its weight.

I claim as my invention 1. In a stacker, the combination with a derrick having a tilting boom, of a swinging fork comprising a transverse shaft journaled in bearings at the end of the boom, tines projecting from said shaft, a lever-arm fixed to said shaft, a rod connected with the leverarm extending to engage a pin on the derrickmast to support the fork in operative position, and means for disengaging the rod to release the fork.

2. In astacker, the combination with a derrick or crane having a tilting fork mounted on its boom, a crank-arm fixed to the fork and rod detachably connecting the crank-arm with the mast to support the fork, of means for disconnecting the rod to unload the fork, and means for bringing the unloaded fork to its supporting position.

3. The combination of a swiveled mast, a tilting boom mounted thereon, a curved track, a carriage thereon, a gravity-latch on the carriage adapted to lock the carriage against movement upon the track, and antifrictionrollers arranged to support and retain the carriage on the track, of a trip depending from the boom and adjustable to govern the ver-' tical movement thereof and adapted to abut against the tail of the latch to release the carriage.

4. In a stacker, the combination of sleepers and beams forming a foundation-frame, a swiveled mast stepped therein, a tilting boom pivoted on the mast, a track supported on the frame, and a carriage on the track with a locking-latch carried thereby, an adjustable stop depending from the rear end of the boom, adapted to abut against the tail of the latch and unlock the same, a draft-cable attached to the carriage and passing through a system of pulleys to operate the derrick, and a supported weight connected with an arm projecting from the'mast to cause a reverse motion of the derrick, a fork carried by the boom, a controlling-rod connected with the fork and adapted to engage a pin on the mast to operatively support the fork, a lever to disengage said rod to release the fork, and a weight and levers carried on the boom with connections adapted to raise the fork after unloading to rengage its supporting means.

5. In a stacker, in combination, a supporting-frame, a swiveled mast set therein, a tilting boom pivotally carried by the mast and provided with a load-carrier, means for look ing the mast against rotation, and an adj ustable trip-stop carried by the boom for releas ing the locking means.

6. In combination, a swiveled mast, a tilting boom-carried thereby, a traveling pulleyblock, a cable passing therethrough for controlling the boom, a gravity-latch for locking the pulley-block against movement, and an adjustable trip carried by the boom for releasing the latch.

7. In combination, a swiveled mast, a tilting boom carried thereby, a latch for locking the mast against angular movement, and an adjustable trip carried by the boom for releasing the latch.

SAMUEL R. FRENCH.

Witnesses:

JOHN T. CRoss, \WM. GOODIN. 

